Little India MRT Station
| line= | other=Bus, Taxi | structure=Underground | platform=Island | depth= | levels=3 | tracks=4 | parking= | bicycle= | baggage_check= | passengers= | pass_year= | pass_percent= | pass_system= | opened=20 June 2003 (North East Line) 27 December 2015 (Downtown Line) | closed= | rebuilt= | electrified=Yes | ADA=Yes | code= | operator=SBS Transit (ComfortDelGro) (North East Line) SBS Transit DTL (Downtown Line) | owned= | zone= | former=Kandang Kerbau | services= | mpassengers= | map_locator= }}Little India MRT Station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit interchange station on the North East Line and the Downtown Line located at the boundary of the planning areas of Kallang and Rochor, Singapore. The station derives its name from the ethnic district of Little India. This station was built in the heart of Little India, with Tekka Centre and The Verge within walking distance of the station. History Downtown Line Stage 2 (DTL2) Contract 921 for the Design and Construction of Rochor and Little India stations and associated tunnels was awarded to South Korean company SsangYong Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd. for approximately S$803.3 million in Jun 2009. The construction of Little India and Rochor MRT stations presented the greatest engineering challenge of the entire Downtown Line. Construction involved over 30 stages of traffic and canal diversions, including the creation of temporary roads facilitate construction works and minimise traffic disruptions in Rochor. At $803 million, the contract to build these stations was one of the highest ever given out. The Rochor Canal, formerly visible at ground level between Sungei Road and Rochor Canal Road, was diverted to flow underground. and expanded to increase its capacity. A 180-metre long, 40-metre wide and 8-metre high tunnel box was also built as part of advance works for the North-South Expressway, and underneath that, the concourse and platforms of Rochor station. All this had to be built in marine clay, at times having the consistency of peanut butter, and as such, infrastructure had to be stabilized firmly into the ground. Train disruptions On 20 December 2012, train services on the North East Line was delayed due to a train fault. A statement from SBS Transit said there was no train service between Punggol and Little India due to a train fault. Free bus rides were made available at designated bus stops near affected NEL stations. At about 5.18 pm, all train services resumed. SBS Transit has apologised for the inconvenience caused. A commuter's leg got trapped in the gap between the MRT train and the station platform on 24 April 2013. She says she was pushed. Madam Ong told The Straits Times about her ordeal at Little India station, during the morning rush-hour. She had been standing by the doors while taking a crowded train on the North-East Line from Farrer Park to HarbourFront when she was "pushed". The secretary in her 40s said, "About three people exiting the train pushed me from the back, even though I was trying to give way by stepping out of the train first so they could get out." It was then that her left leg slipped into the 10 cm platform gap and got trapped. Fire at Downtown MRT Line construction site No one was injured in a fire that broke out at a Downtown Line worksite along Race Course Road on the evening of 26 March 2014. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) told Yahoo Singapore that a “small fire” had broken out at a “localised area” within the worksite of the Downtown Line Little India MRT station. “There is also no impact to DTL2 construction progress,” added a spokesperson for the LTA, who added that the fire was put out by 10pm, after it first broke out about half an hour earlier. Art in Transit The artwork featured in the North East Line section features Memoirs of the Past by S. Chandrasekaran. The animal paintings echos the past of Little India when buffalo stables were seen. The Downtown Line section features "Woven Field" by Grace Tan. It features a landscape of tessellated triangular configurations inspired by the singhaulia woven patterns commonly seen in the traditional sari. Trapped in platform screen doors A woman was trapped between an MRT train and the platform doors at Little India station on the Downtown Line on Monday (Aug 26). SBS Transit, which operates the Downtown Line, said the incident happened at 3.30pm and the passenger was seen running towards the train at the station, which was headed in the direction of Expo Station. The passenger then used her hands to block the platform screen doors from closing fully. As a result, the platform doors started to retract as the system detected an obstruction. A video of the incident posted online shows the woman prise the platform doors open. She gets past them and the doors close behind her. The woman then attempts to open the closed train doors. SBS Transit said that when the passenger attempted to squeeze through the closed train doors, a staff member on the train activated an emergency device which enabled the train doors to reopen fully so that the passenger could enter the train. The video clip also shows nearby commuters trying to help the woman. For instance, a man tries to prise open the platform doors that close behind her. After the woman manages to enter the train, the train doors close behind her and the train eventually leaves the platform. The entire incident lasted about 20 seconds, the public transport operator added. SBS Transit said commuters must not attempt actions like those of the passenger as that is extremely dangerous and could result in serious injury, service disruptions and damage to public property. Platforms The NEL and DTL platforms are both designed with the upper floor concourse wrapping around the platform, creating a large indoor space typical of many NEL and several other DTL/CCL stations. The upper concourse connects through the paid and unpaid linkways. Station layout Exits *A: Mackenzie Regency, Mackenzie Road *B: KK Woman's Children's Hospital, Tekka Market *C: Tekka Centre, Tekka Market *D: KK Woman's Children's Hospital *E: Cholia's Village, Shree Lakshminarayan Temple, Foochow Methodist Church *F: Farrer Park Swimming Complex Passenger Usage Patterns Transport connections Rail External links * Official website Category:Rochor Category:Railway stations opened in 2003 Category:Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) stations